Recently we have been awash with reports on boardroom gender
diversity. Last year, McKinsey published their report Women
Matter, in which they concluded that companies with the
highest share of women on their executive committees outperform
companies with no women, both in terms of return on equity and
operating results. This month, Odgers Berndtson published a report
on senior women in financial services, which recommended (amongst
other things) linking financial incentives to diversity
achievements. This was preceded by Lord Davies' report in
February of this year, 'Women on Boards'. Lord
Davies urged the boards of FTSE 100 companies to double the number
of women on their boards by 2015. This would mean an increase from
12.5% to 25% and would be an unprecedented acceleration. At the
current rate of progress it would take (according to Lord Davies)
70 years to achieve gender-balanced boards. Lord Davies shunned
quotas for the moment but promised to revisit this
